


9-1-1: Stories of the 118

by Brontolope11



Series: 9-1-1: Stories of the 118 [1]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26129956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brontolope11/pseuds/Brontolope11
Summary: Noah has had one dream ever since he was a child; become a firefighter. Only realized when he was twenty six, he knows he's got a lot of hardship ahead of him as he faces being the only transman in his class. He fits into the 118 awkwardly and must prove himself during his probationary period, Noah sets out to do what he desires most; help people. It's an uphill battle, faced alone without the support of family but he finds friends make life much easier. This is Noah's story, what will come of it?
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: 9-1-1: Stories of the 118 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897378
Kudos: 8





	1. Prequel, Part 1: Noah Begins

Rain beat down on the pavement as the windshield wipers swept away water so the man behind the wheel could see where he was going. This wasn’t the life he’d wanted to live; delivering pizzas to people who never tipped and were almost always rude about mistakes made. Or the very common, ‘get out of paying my bill’ people. To Noah, this really was a soul crushing job but anything was better than nothing. Stopping in front of a brick apartment building, he tried to shield himself from the downpour as he hurried over to the sidewalk. His thick yet short red hair had been styled neatly, swept to the side and puffed up in the front. But the rain threatened to either flatten it or make it spring out like it did every time he dried it. The freckles across his fair skin looked like the milky way from cheek to cheek and across the bridge of his nose, and to add to his features were two different shaded blue eyes. Standing in the rain, nobody was outside. Who would be, in this awful weather? It would have been nice if someone had even bothered to come out to sign and pay for their meal. 

Pulling out the delivery address, he sighed as he realized that this was a dead run and nobody picked up on it back in the kitchen. Another waste of gas, Noah turned back around and got into his car. Texting his boss what happened, he took off a little more frustrated than before. Not just at the dumb prank, but at everything. His college classes that were going about fair, his stupid job and how alone he felt. When would all of this just stop? Getting to the end of the street, he sat there for a moment lost in thought. No use on heading back immediately, to a job that’d send him out once more over the course of three hours until he could get off and go back to his studio apartment. He was about to go when he heard this loud crash and a crunch, pulling to the side of the road and almost on the corner he got out and put a hand above his eyes to prevent rain from getting in them. Two cars at the intersection had collided, the rain had been so heavy they just didn’t see one another. 

Without much though, Noah started running for the cars; smoke was rising in the blue sedan while the green geo lay upside down, mangled beyond the point of repair. But the cars were not what concerned Noah, but the lives within them. Others had started to gather around to watch in shock, though Noah bitterly noted how many were not stepping up to provide aide. Phones were being pulled out to either capture the moment or call for help. Looking at the two cars, he knew the sedan that was smoking would need to be seen to first; if there was a fire to be had those people needed to be pulled out of the wreck as fast as possible. Rushing to the driver’s door, the airbag had been deployed and behind it a young woman lay motionless, bleeding from the forehead and unconscious. Checking her pulse, it was weak but there. He could feel the car heating up; he needed to get her out of this car now. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his switchblade, something he had to protect himself on runs. Cutting the seatbelt loose, he very carefully pulled the woman out; luckily, her feet were not trapped in the car.

Dragging her to the sidewalk, he had no time to spare as he rushed back to the smoking car and searched the back seat. There was broken glass everywhere, none of the windows but the right back had been spared but that was more than luck for the child and dog that lay on the backseat. He tried getting the door open; it wouldn’t budge and he didn’t have time to find something to open it as the unmistakable flicker of fire began to embrace the front of the sedan. Heaving himself up into the broken window, he could feel glass cutting his arms and belly up but nothing serious as he pulled at the seatbelt of the child. The dog briefly woke and growled but was too weak to do anything. Fear engulfed Noah as the child didn’t move; he couldn’t see their chest move at all. As he cut the child free, he pulled them out of the window and went back in for the dog. 

Another person had arrived to the scene to help, a woman who had seen him trying to fish the child out had decided watching wasn’t enough to help. Together, they pulled the kid and dog next to the mother. But there was another problem; the green geo was too close not to be caught by the flames. Looking at the woman who helped, she nodded at him as if confirming that she would help the small family on the pavement before he turned and ran for the smaller car. Kneeling down by the passenger he looked inside. There was only one person inside; a larger man who was awake but not very aware of his surroundings. “Sir, can you hear me?” Noah’s high pitched voice startled him a little; but the man nodded his head.

“Yes, yes I can hear you. Please help me, I think my leg is broken,” the poor man cried out as he struggled in his seat, “and I’m starting to get light headed. I think the blood is rushing to my head.” Noah nodded and ran around the car to the driver’s side; the window was partially broken but not fully. Reaching forward, he pulled the glass towards him and heard the crack. But there was a problem; there would be no way for him to get this man out safely without causing more harm. Noah could hear sirens in the distance; help was on the way but his keen eyes caught sight of the oil dripping onto the pavement. Time was something they were quickly running out of. Looking over to the people on the sidewalk, there was a woman who had obviously just gotten back from shopping and had a box of kitty litter with her. “Sir, I’ll be right back, try to stay still,” he informed the trapped man before hurrying to the woman. “I need your litter, I’ll pay you for it but there’s oil on the street and it needs to be taken care of; otherwise it could light up and the man will die,” Noah’s bedside manner needed some work, the woman looked horrified and nodded her head. Grabbing it, he started to pour out the litter on the oil as the firetruck came with paramedics. 

One of them stopped him from going to the man, putting a hand on his shoulder the woman in that beautiful uniform nodded to him. “You’ve done a great job but we got it from here, thank you. You did a great job,” she headed for the geo, followed by many members of her station. Turning back to the woman, he paid her twenty before looking back at the family. They were being tended to by the paramedics; he smiled as he saw the child sit up. By now, his hair was everywhere, the cowlicks had no more gel to keep them down. Noah gave his statement to the police before heading off on his own again, back to his car and back to his old, boring life. Yet, something had changed within him. He felt good helping like that, and now he knew why the sound of sirens soothed him rather than frightened him; he’d always wanted to be in one of those trucks heading for danger rather than away from it. As he drove back to the pizza place, his mind was decided; 

He was going to be a firefighter.


	2. Prequel, Part 2: Noah Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Noah Begins, a glimpse into his life

Noah changed majors the moment his semester ended. Originally, he was going to art school. Everyone told him how great his art was, but never really listened to him when he said he didn’t want to be an artist. But that wreck last week, that was what he wanted to do. He wanted to help people and feel better about what he was doing with his life. The thrill of the job, everything about it attracted him. Sitting in his apartment, he stared at his phone. Should he tell his mother he changed majors? That he wasn’t going to do something she didn’t approve of? She would have to be told eventually, she would find out he kept that bit from her and life would become harder than it was. 

Sighing, he picked the phone up and dialed her. Part of him hoped that she wouldn’t pick up but it was seven; she always answered. “Hello?” came the voice from the other end and Noah felt like his heart skipped a beat. “Hey mom, how are you? That’s good. Oh, me? I’ve been alright. Got more hours cut but that’s fine because there’s something that changed in my life that I wanted to tell you,” he paused as he waited for the exaggerated sigh on the other end to finish; he hated telling his mother things. “I changed my major, I’m taking fire science and a few other classes that will get me a job as a firefighter,” Noah spat out, quickly but slow enough for her to take it in. 

There was a long pause before a deep sigh broke the silence. “You can’t do it Tessa,” his mother groaned in her typical disappointed tone. “It’s Noah, mom I can do this. Can’t you just be happy for me and encourage me? Even just support my decision?” Noah asked, hurt clear in his voice but there was no empathy to be spared for him. “No, you can’t do this. I’m not going to encourage you to ruin your life or to do something you can’t do. What’s wrong with art school? That’s what you are best at,” she answered back, sounding like she was trying to keep her anger checked. Noah’s heart sank like a rock, he knew this would be her reaction, why did he expect something different? 

“I’ve got to go mom. I love-,” she hung up on him. Sitting alone in his small apartment, he just sat there for a brief moment before tears began to roll down his face. All he ever wanted to do as a child was to be a firefighter, help people. But his mother never believed in him unless he did something she approved of, like delivering pizzas, cleaning, or doing art work. A life that made him want to down all the pills in his cabinet. A life his mother chose for him was a death sentence for him, and even his death would just provide her more attention for her ‘slow son’. But Noah wasn’t slow, he had ADHD. He struggled with sitting in classes but he did his work and graduated. He knew what everyone always told him; but he couldn’t. He knew his mother was toxic and cruel, but she was his mom, how could he just leave her? Pushing his face into his hands, he sighed deeply into them and sat there for a moment before rage built up inside of him. 

Looking at the wall across the room, something clicked within him; if his mother wouldn’t see herself that he was capable, he would prove it to her once and for all. Those first few months were rough, he would admit but every day he got better. Every graduation, he spent alone. His mother would have nothing to do with him while he pursued his dream, and the longer she was gone from his life, the more confident he got with himself. Four year passed on by before he got through college and the academy. And out of sixty in his class, he was the only transman.

Their trainer seemed to have it out for him, saying things like, ‘you won’t make it, you’re not a real man’ and all the comments did was make him even more stubborn than before. His mother, society and even himself, all the negativity just encouraged him to prove everyone wrong. He wouldn’t let anyone ruin his dream, not even himself. Noah did feel alone, during training and college, he never managed to make a friend but somehow made plenty of ‘enemies’ or whatever one would like to call them. 

Going into the men’s locker room had been hell for the first week, he got told he didn’t belong there and that he should use the ‘women’s’, which they had some choice words for. This was certainly a cis boys only club, at least in this batch. But Noah had to power through it, he figured not all stations were going to be like training. And the training itself was grueling and hard, more than once Noah felt like he didn’t have it in him but every time his brain popped up all those nasty comments, people who didn’t think he could do it and rage just powered him on. If he failed here, they would all be right about him; and to Noah, if he failed these courses he failed his life. 

He made it; graduation day. Standing proudly among the other successful recruits, he ignored the snickers and jeers he got when his name was called. “Noah T. Raima, you’ll be with the 118, congratulations.” The 118, excitement poured through Noah as he figured this was what his mother would have to accept and finally find pride in him. But as he walked over to his new station, he looked over at the seat where his mother was supposed to be sitting. 

There was an empty seat next to his sister, who cheered like he would die tomorrow. Hearing how happy his sister was for him, it made him feel a little better but there was still a rock in his gut. They spent an hour as the last recruit was given a station; he was the only one joining the 118. He felt like that was strange but he didn’t question it. 

Walking down to podium and rushing over to his sister, she wrapped her arms around him tightly before smiling at him. “I’m so proud of you Noah,” she chimed in, her voice was chalked full of that loud happiness she always shown. Kate had always been a bubbly person, ever since they were children. Kate was his twin sister, without her he doubted he would have survived his childhood. “Thanks for coming,” his eyes flickered to the empty chair; how dare she not come. Hadn’t he proven to her that he could do it? Kate must have guessed what he’d been feeling. “Please, don’t let this get to you Noah. I know what you want and you won’t get it. But think about this; she’s never going to know the real you. She’s stuck in her own world, hearing the things she was told and she never escaped; you did. You made it Noah, isn’t that enough for you?” Hearing Kate’s words, he knew she was right. 

Their mother wasn’t going to change, if she was here she might just take credit for his work and make everything about herself. Part of him really wanted her to be here and surprise him by her support but that was a bigger longshot than actually trying out for this profession. “Come on, the night is still young and we’ve got a lot of celebrating to do before you are too busy to have a social life,” his sister laughed, nudging him before heading off.

That entire night might have been a mistake, a happy mistake, but the next morning he woke up more tired than before. He didn’t drink, he never did. But he especially wouldn’t now, he had his dream to play out. Getting dressed in his uniform, he couldn’t help but admire the man that looked at him back from the mirror. That LAPD Firefighter emblem pressed against his chest, he’d worked so hard to have the right to wear this. His hair was styled to look his best, pride poured from his eyes. Grabbing his bag, he almost ran out the door. The drive seemed to take too long before he pulled into the lot of the station house. Walking to the front, he just looked at the large building. He was here; he was really here. Noah started to think about his mother but shook her away; she wouldn’t poison his mind today. 

Walking inside, the fire trucks, the hoses, everything was almost overwhelming to Noah and he felt like he could cry out of joy. He’d made it, he had done what he was meant to do. He was so wrapped in his thoughts he hadn’t heard Bobby speaking to him. “Excuse me,” the raised voice startled Noah and his attention shot up. 

“Welcome to the 118, Raima.” His probationary year was about to start and Noah was ready for his new life to begin here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wraps up Noah begins and next week will be the first chapter of his life with the 118! Thanks for sticking around folks, it's been fun so far!

**Author's Note:**

> So this is about the third time I have tried to post this and it's infuriating that the site is either glitching on me or I'm just too damn stupid to figure it out. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed part one of the prequel before the second come out on chapter 1.
> 
> Please keep in mind that this is one of my first fanfictions and it's not going to be perfect. I do my research and base on my own knowledge of these subjects but do not claim to be an expert. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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